Claw-Foot Antiques Are Worthy Of Receiving Bathtub Resurface

By Betty Brown


Home improvement projects have become a vibrant element in popular culture. There are a number of television shows focused on the subject, and any of a number of videos online that will show you how to do just about anything. In our zeal to make the old like new again, some very valuable tubs get thrown out with the bathwater when all they really needed was a bathtub resurface.

These old porcelain tubs were given the boot by home builders in the 70s, but prior to this, they were found in nearly every home built. As lighter and cheaper materials became more standard, the porcelain was replaced with materials such as fiberglass and acrylic. Due to this change, those old-style, fancy bathtubs are sometimes worth a small fortune, and should never be overlooked.

The weight of the old tubs was unwieldy, as they were really made of cast iron and the porcelain was baked on. In homes with second-story baths, this can present real problems with the tub sagging and becoming unstable, even unsafe over time. The acrylic garden tubs were first introduced by the manufactured housing market, and eventually became standard.

These days people often shower most often, and some see no sense in owning tubs at all. Newer houses often have only one tub, even if there are two ore more full bathrooms built on the house. When apartment shopping, it is an item that must be inquired upon, as one who does appreciate a hot bath may be very disappointed with having only a small shower.

In the world of refurbishing, easily installed acrylic tubs can be purchased and cut to fit almost any space. Many people have maintained their home improvement budget by pushing this easy button. Some newer styles actually fit over the tub that is already there, but unfortunately, many fancy claw-foot porcelain tubs have been sent to the landfill.

Anyone who owns a home older than 1965 just might have a larger, porcelain tub underneath what appears to be their bathroom. Sometimes these very rare antiques have been walled in or covered up in prior remodeling. If you find such a thing in a home, it can be brought back very close to the original beauty with a kit that one buys in home improvement or hardware stores.

Should your tub turn out to be highly valuable, it can be taken to an artisan who will sandblast and re-coat the entire tub. This includes making the outside match the inside utilizing techniques that differ from the past, but the results are better than ever. Old-fashioned ceramic was baked onto the iron, but now they can use many other materials to make a fancy old tub the center of the room.

For those sad individuals who threw out a claw-foot tub, it is probably a sore subject. These antiques go for thousands of dollars, sometimes being valued that high when they have not been maintained. For those who do not wish to be bothered with any refinishing, they can still find eager antique collectors and dealers willing to show up, cash in hand.




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